FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 2/24/2025

Contact:                                               
Camille Tibaldeo   

P: 212.246.6543

E: camille@fountaingallerynyc.com 

Fountain House Gallery Presents “Meticulous Markings” 

Exhibition Features Eight Artists Who Utilize Distinctive Markings in Their Work  

March 1 – April 30, 2025

Reception: Saturday, March 1, 6-9pm

Curated by Jennifer Gilbert 

NEW YORK CITY – Fountain House Gallery – the premier venue in New York City representing artists living with mental illness – announces the exhibition Meticulous Markings. The show will open with a reception at Fountain House Gallery on Saturday, March 1, 2025, from 6:00pm to 9:00pm, and will remain on view through April 30, 2025. Fountain House Gallery is located at 702 Ninth Avenue in Manhattan. 

Welcome to Meticulous Markings, where a riot of color sits comfortably alongside intricate designs, figurative abstraction, densely layered fabrics, and handmade dolls. Curated by Jennifer Gilbert of Jennifer Lauren Gallery, Manchester (UK) – an established voice in the Self-Taught & Progressive art world – Meticulous Markings features eight artists selected throughout a callout, whose work includes exceptional detail and the exquisite skill to communicate thoughts and feelings without words. We encourage the viewer to take a moment to pause, and reflect on the artworks and stories shared. 

Curator Gilbert said, "Kelly Han draws on symbolism and spiritual art from her ancestry, using geometric patterns, while Alyson Vega creates colorful work using a wide variety of found materials and threads, reflecting the beauty and order she perceives in the natural world. Nicolaus Myers’s work in acrylic and oil depicts the rough edges of life featuring people in crisis with characters displaying angst and worry, whereas Roger Jones’s urban cityscapes are bright, colorful, and brimming with the faces of countless people. Susan Spangenberg’s dolls are linked by a common thread, that being mental illness and its associated traumas which Susan herself 

identifies with. Finally, Kelila Zechowy, Michael Kronenberg and Annie Poon create exquisite

patterns in colorful, bold abstract styles. Karen depicts hope and anticipation, Michael focuses

on the intersection between dreams, myths and archetypes, and Annie lays down dots on small paper; each piece, she believes, has its own ‘unique logic,' focusing on individuality."

About the Meticulous Markings Artists: 

Kelly Han 
Kelly is a lens-based artist whose artworks have been exhibited at numerous galleries and festivals in the United States. Kelly’s photographic work captures the life she sees during her extensive travels, where she challenges preconceived notions of different cultures. Alongside this, Kelly has created a series of pieces entitled Bless This House which include artwork inspired by Kolam, a spiritual art form from South India characterized by geometric designs or Rangoli patterns. Kelly reinterpreted this practice by creating pastel pencil drawings on delicate vellum paper. 

Roger Jones
Roger’s preferred subject matter for his acrylic paintings includes scenes of New York City and its people, and representations of nature. His early work in portraiture has evolved into representations that often feature a multitude of faces inhabiting an urban environment. Primarily self-taught, he studied painting via programs at the organization Community Access. His work has been presented at the Outsider Art Fair, and in a group exhibition at White Columns.

Michael Kronenberg 

Michael began drawing at the age four and holds a BFA in Illustration from Parsons School of Design. His preferred mediums are watercolor, acrylic, gouache, pencil, and marker. His style includes figurative abstraction, cartooning and portraiture. Michael’s work is focused upon form, line, color, and the intersection between dreams, myths, and archetypes. 

Nicolaus Myers 

Nicolaus holds a BS in Nursing from Western Governors University, Salt Lake City. He is a self-taught artist, favoring acrylic and oil while using modern and surrealist styles. Nicolaus says, "I've experienced many major changes in my life, and early on I realized that I have a lot of compassion for others. I paint the rough edges of life, often focusing on people in crisis."

Annie Poon
Annie is a multimedia artist who is best known for her self-taught paper stop-motion animations, which are highly labor intensive. She also creates dot drawings while in a trance. 

Annie's work swings from whimsical to dark, reflecting her Bipolar and Schizoaffective diagnoses. The work often draws upon: the games she played with her twin as a child; 

religion; and her constant search for hope amid distress. She has worked with several museums and art galleries and her work is held by numerous establishments.

Susan Spangenberg

Susan has always had a love for creativity, preferring nowadays to work in self-isolation. She uses art to cope with the symptoms of her trauma and mental illness. Susan says, "I create playful worlds – all of them raw, intuitive, impulsive, direct, emotional, psychedelic, and whimsical. I like to incorporate text and stream of consciousness writing in my art, including messages from my late twin brother.” She works in small and large format encompassing textiles, mixed media, painting, body prints, and handmade dolls. 

Alyson Vega 
Alyson is a fiber artist who taught herself to sew at a young age. She received a BA in Japanese Folklore and Mythology from Harvard University, but after teaching math for over 20 years, Alyson sustained a brain injury that ended her career. At the same time, she developed an urgency to create, making assemblages with whatever she could find. Utilizing a wide variety of materials and techniques, Alyson’s pieces reflect the beauty and order she perceives in the natural world. Her work has been shown in a solo exhibition at White Columns and at the Outsider Art Fair.

Kelila Zechowy

Kelila is a self-taught artist with a BA in Psychology from Barnard College. Her favored mediums are acrylic and pen and ink, executed in abstract and geometric styles. Karen says, "I am moved by the human condition; in my work I depict motion and emotion."

Fountain House Gallery & Studio is funded, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and by generous support from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, and the Renate, Hans and Maria Hofmann Trust.  

About Fountain House Gallery & Studio 

Fountain House Gallery & Studio supports the careers and creative visions of contemporary artists living with mental illness. Founded by Fountain House in 2000, the Manhattan-based Gallery sells original artworks and collaborates with a wide network of artists, curators and cultural institutions. The Studio, located in Long Island City, is a collaborative workspace that furthers the professional practice of our artists. Embracing artists who are emerging or established, trained or self-taught, Fountain House Gallery cultivates artistic growth, makes a vital contribution to the New York arts community, and challenges the stigma surrounding mental illness.

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